Daily Archives: 2021-01-14

2021-01-14: News Headlines

Melvin Goodman (2021-01-14). Bibi and Jonathan Pollard: Two Anti-American Peas in Their Own Pod. counterpunch.org Last month, the New York Times described the hero's welcome in Israel for Jonathan Pollard, who served 30 years in jail for spying for Israel, as "relatively subdued." In view of the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led this "subdued" reception, it is time to throw some shade on Bibi and Jonathan. After all, the United

Melvin Goodman (2021-01-14). Bibi and Jonathan Pollard: Two Anti-American Peas in Their Own Pod. counterpunch.org Last month, the New York Times described the hero's welcome in Israel for Jonathan Pollard, who served 30 years in jail for spying for Israel, as "relatively subdued." In view of the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led this "subdued" reception, it is time to throw some shade on Bibi and Jonathan. After all, the United States has supplied Israeli with huge amounts of military and economic aid as well as intelligence support over the years with very little return.

MEE and agencies (2021-01-14). Covid-19: Israel to vaccinate Palestinian prisoners from next week. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel to vaccinate Palestinian prisoners from next week | Israel's health minister made the announcement after President Reuven Rivlin criticised plans to exclude prisoners from vaccination programme | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 16: 02 | Israel has been criticised for shirking its responsibilities as an occupying power by failing to deliver vaccines to millions of Palestinians living in…

Gloria Rubac (2021-01-14). Prison officials' crimes mount at Ramsey Unit in Texas. workers.org Houston "I just can't take it anymore," Michael Beck told other prisoners at the W. F. Ramsey Unit state prison, in Rosharon, Texas, 33 miles south of Houston. Then during the first week of January, he wrapped a fan cord around his neck and tied the other end of it . . . |

Don Fitz (2021-01-14). Two Principles of Racial Equity that Outrage Liberals. dissidentvoice.org The May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a civil rights explosion. It ignited pushes to demilitarize the police, reallocate police over-funding to necessary social services, end economic and power divides, and replace symbols of oppression with recognition of those who have suffered and resisted. In University City, one of the oldest …

Liberation Staff (2021-01-14). National Committee for Justice in Denver formed to defend anti-racist organizers. liberationnews.org Prominent movement leaders from across the country have launched the National Committee for Justice in Denver to demand that authorities drop the charges against anti-racist activists facing decades in prison on false charges filed against them in retaliation for their work demanding justice for Elijah McClain.

Lindsey German (2021-01-14). Marxism and feminism — Marxism and Women's Liberation extract. mronline.org Lindsey German discusses Marxism's contribution to analyzing women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation…

Sara Flounders (2021-01-14). The Pentagon, Corporations and Slave Labor in U.S. Prisons. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published by Workers World on June 11, 2011. | It is not only federal prisons that contract out prison labor to top corporations. State prisons that used forced prison labor in plantations, laundries and highway chain gangs …

via Silicon Valley deBug (2021-01-14). Hunger Strike Starts Tonight in Santa Clara County Jail. indybay.org Prisoners of Santa Clara County Main Jail 7B will be standing in protest in the form of a hunger strike beginning tonight challenging their conditions of confinement and cruel and unusual punishment, specifically the jail and medical staff response towards Covid outbreaks in the jail. | The letter below is from the county jail prisoners to the Jail Administration.

_____ (2021-01-14). Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Charged In Flint Water Crisis. popularresistance.org Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who ran the state at the time of the devastating 2014 Flint water scandal, has been charged in the crisis that led to the Legionnaires' disease outbreak that killed 12 people. | Snyder pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to two counts of willful neglect of duty, before a judge set bond at $10,000. | The former governor was ordered to not leave the state ahead of his next date on Tuesday. He faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. | "We believe there is no evidence to support any criminal charges against Governor Snyder," defense attorney Brian Lennon told The Associated Pre…

William Astore (2021-01-14). POW Nation: When Will America Free Itself From War? counterpunch.org "POWs Never Have A Nice Day." That sentiment was captured on a button a friend of mine wore for our fourth grade class photo in 1972. That prisoners of war could never have such a day was reinforced by the sad face on that button. Soon after, American POWs would indeed be released by their

Max Blumenthal (2021-01-13). Chaos agent: Right-wing blames US Capitol riot on notorious instigator banished by Black Lives Matter. thegrayzone.com John Sullivan was at the front of the Trumpist mob in the Capitol, egging it on as he recorded the rampage. The far-right is pointing to him as proof of Antifa's role in the riot. But leftist activists call him a dangerous provocateur and have banished him. The most dramatic footage to emerge from the far-right storming of the US Capitol on January 6 depicted the lethal shooting of Ashli Babbit, a pro-Trump activist and military veteran, by a Capitol …

MEE staff (2021-01-13). Rights group calls on US Muslims to be 'extra vigilant' in wake of Capitol riot. middleeasteye.net Rights group calls on US Muslims to be 'extra vigilant' in wake of Capitol riot | Council on American-Islamic Relations says threat posed by far-right white supremacist violence is high and Muslims may be targets | Wed, 01/13/2021 – 21: 17 | CAIR urges mosques and other Islamic institutions to take measures outlined in its safety booklet (AFP) | A leading Muslim-American civil rights and advocacy group urged M…

William J. Astore (2021-01-13). We're all POWs Now: When Will America Free Itself From War? juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — "POWs Never Have A Nice Day." That sentiment was captured on a button a friend of mine wore for our fourth grade class photo in 1972. That prisoners of war could never have such a day was reinforced by the sad face on that button. Soon after, American POWs would indeed be …

Devin Cole (2021-01-13). Building an Inside-led prison abolition movement. workers.org On Jan. 5, Devin Cole spoke with Free Alabama Movement co-founder and freedom fighter Bennu Hannibal Ra Sun about the economic side of the ongoing 30-day Economic Blackout and Alabama prison strike in January, the growth of social media and prison abolition, and what it will take to build a . . . |

Mike Garrity (2021-01-13). Alliance for the Wild Rockies Sues Over Impacts on Grizzlies from Widespread Illegal Motorized Use on National Forests. counterpunch.org The Alliance for the Wild Rockies filed a lawsuit in federal district court on Friday over impacts to threatened grizzly bears from widespread illegal road use across the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest in Montana. Illegal motorized use includes motorized use on "closed" roads by driving around gates or barriers or ripping them out, as

_____ (2021-01-13). On His Way To Prison, Activist Advocates For COVID-19 Prisoner Release. popularresistance.org On Thursday (Jan. 14), Patrick O'Neill will report to the Federal Correctional Institution near Elkton, Ohio, to serve a 14-month sentence for breaking into a nuclear submarine base as part of a symbolic nuclear disarmament action he took up with six other Catholic pacifists more than two years ago. | But on his way to prison, O'Neill has taken up a new cause: protecting inmates from COVID-19. | Some 329,298 prisoners across the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus and about 2,020 have died, according to the Marshall Project, the online journalism organization focused on criminal justice. | Pris…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-13). US indigenous group files lawsuit to stop approval for planned copper mine. peoplesdispatch.org The Apache people in the state of Arizona have been fighting against a planned copper mine in Oak Flat by the controversial company Rio Tinto…

Democracy (2021-01-13). Rep. Jim Jordan Projects His Own Vote Fraud Onto Democrats. indybay.org As Trump in 2020 once again hired Nathan Sproul, vote fraudster whose operatives have gone to jail for throwing away Demcratic voter registrations, Jim Jordan, sitting in the nation's perhaps most gerrymandered district, projected vote crimes onto Democrats.

Fight Back (2021-01-13). FRSO online event to mark Martin Luther King Day. fightbacknews.org The The program will draw lessons from the rebellion and offer direction for the peoples' struggle in the year to come. It will feature Frank Chapman, speaking for the Central Committee of the FRSO and Aislinn Pulley, of Black Lives Matter-Chicago. The program will be moderated by Michael Sampson of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression or NAARPR, from Jackso…

Fight Back (2021-01-13). FRSO online event to mark Martin Luther King Day. fightbacknews.org The The program will draw lessons from the rebellion and offer direction for the peoples' struggle in the year to come. It will feature Frank Chapman, speaking for the Central Committee of the FRSO and Aislinn Pulley, of Black Lives Matter-Chicago. The program will be moderated by Michael Sampson of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression or NAARPR, from Jackso…

Brian Tashman (2021-01-12). As Sheriffs Quit ICE, Joe Biden Can Lead the Way in Restoring Trust. aclu.org This month, two newly-elected sheriffs canceled contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The sheriffs in Gwinnett County, Georgia and Charleston County, South Carolina were

MEE staff (2021-01-12). 'Horrific barbarism': UK to ban Chinese imports linked to forced Uighur labour. middleeasteye.net 'Horrific barbarism': UK to ban Chinese imports linked to forced Uighur labour | Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says China's use of forced Uighur prison labour is 'truly horrific barbarism we had hoped lost to another era' | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 18: 41 | Protesters at a rally in Hong Kong in support of the Uighur minority in China, December 2019 (AFP/File photo) | The United Kingdom has accused China of human rig…

Nadda Osman (2021-01-12). Egypt: Prison sentences overturned for TikTok influencers. middleeasteye.net Egypt: Prison sentences overturned for TikTok influencers | Young women originally convicted of 'violating public morals' in case internationally condemned | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 14: 39 | The Egyptian content creators were originally charged with 'violating public morals' (AFP) | Cairo's Economic Appeals Court overturned the prison sentences of TikTok content creators Haneen Hossam and Mowada al-Adham on Tu…

MEE staff (2021-01-12). Gym, spa and snooker: Egyptians condemn 'seven-star prison' for Mubarak officials. middleeasteye.net Gym, spa and snooker: Egyptians condemn 'seven-star prison' for Mubarak officials | Former prisoner reveals Mubarak's sons and aides were in luxury jails, prompting accusations of discrimination against prisoners of conscience | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 14: 49 | Alaa (left) and Gamal Mubarak, the sons of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, arrive for their trial on corruption charges in Cairo, 9 July 2012. They were rele…

Betsey Piette (2021-01-12). Free Maroon! Jan. 18 day of actions. workers.org Prison abolitionists in several Northeast cities are organizing "Justice Is Dead" car caravans on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to demand an end of "Death by COVID" in prisons. The Jan. 18 actions will target governors in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, who have allowed genocidal prison neglect to . . . |

IMEMC News (2021-01-12). PPS: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Fourteen Palestinians In West Bank" imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday at dawn, fourteen Palestinians from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, after the army broke into and ransacked dozens of homes. The PPS office in Tulkarem, in northern West Bank, said the soldiers abducted Mohammad Wasfi Jallad, 54, …

Caleb Granger (2021-01-12). Sexual assault rampant in ICE detention centers across Texas. liberationnews.org Across the state of Texas, women have been brutalized, beaten and deported before they were able to testify against their abusers.

IMEMC News (2021-01-12). Former Political Prisoner Dies From Cancer That Went Untreated In Prison. imemc.org The Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Committee has reported that a young Palestinian man who was only released from Israeli detention camps a few months ago, had died, on Monday evening, from cancer that went untreated while he was held captive. The Committee stated that Mohammad Eyada Salahuddin, 20, from Hizma town, east of the occupied …

Sandra Park (2021-01-12). Tenants' Right to Counsel is Critical to Fight Mass Evictions and Advance Race Equity During the Pandemic and Beyond. aclu.org As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on and worsens, people across the country face the devastation left in its wake. The public health and economic consequences of the pandemic have cost millions of people their jobs and the ability to pay rent — leaving far too many renters facing the added threat of eviction and losing their homes., , The patchwork of responses has yet to slow down the eviction crisis thus far. Congress first responded through the CARES Act by putting a halt on evictions with a moratorium for a fraction of tenants across the country, but this expired in July 2020. In September, the Cent…

_____ (2021-01-12). Driver Lawsuit Says Uber And Lyft's Proposition 22 Is Unconstitutional. popularresistance.org A trio of ride-hail drivers filed a lawsuit in California's Supreme Court on Tuesday alleging Proposition 22 is unconstitutional. The proposition was voted into law by California residents in November and ensures gig workers in the state are classified as independent contractors, rather than employees. | Proposition 22 was authored by gig economy companies, including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart, which spent more than $205 million to get the ballot measure passed. It exempts the companies from a state law requiring that they treat their workers as employees. | The proposition has only been in effect for one…

commondreams (2021-01-12). Supreme Court Will Hear Big Oil's Plea to Escape Accountability in Climate Damages Lawsuit Jan. 19. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Death Penalty Abolition (2021-01-12). Biden Asked To Withdraw ProExecution Garland As AG. indybay.org Biden chose for AG Merrick Garland, who as a prosecutor called for the death penalty and was instrumental in the passage of the unconstitutional 96 pro execution law, who denied GTMO prisoner rights, upheld draconian marijuana regulations, denied most prisoner mercy appeals, and paved the way for Citizens United ruling that $ is speech.

William Astore (2021-01-12). We're All Prisoners of War Now. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-828424640.jpg

Ed Rampell (2021-01-12). By Any Means Necessary: The FBI vs. Civil Rights. progressive.org This new documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at the agency's dirty war against the 'Black Messiah.'

Greg Roest (2021-01-12). Payments to Alaskans are Not a UBI. realprogressives.org Supporters of a federally funded Universal Basic Income (UBI) often incorrectly point to the dividends paid from Alaska's Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC) as a proof of concept. This view is detached from reality in both scale and operation. Looking at Alaska for a federal model does not utilize our existing capability to provide a better life for all people and looking elsewhere for a federal model requires the study of macroeconomics and oppression. Further, calls for a UBI should not be conflated with a basic income underneath the umbrella of a Federal Job Guarantee (FJG), and alongside enshrined universal…

VINS (2021-01-12). California Overlooks Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters. projectcensored.org During California's 2020 wildfire crisis, the state exploited prison labor to meet a labor shortage in fire fighters. As VICE's Motherboard reported in September 2020, even as California recruited fire crews from six other states and from Israel, Mexico, and Australia, the current labor shortage was "brought on by the state itself." Though California's reliance on low-paid incarcerated firefighters is "well documented," after they are released from prison "institutional barriers" prevent them from becoming full-time professional firefighters. | As Motherboard reported, inmate firefighters typically make up betwee…